Legislative Achievements
Below are five pieces of legislation attributable to the work of the Women's Pension Project.
- The Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) made changes helping women more easily return to court after a divorce to obtain pension benefits earned during a marriage, and requiring plans to provide an additional survivor benefit option. The PPA also made improvements to the Railroad Retirement Act so that former spouses may begin collecting benefits based on the employee's eligibility and also ensures that former spouses receive survivor benefits. Learn more about the PPA.
- The Tax Reform Act of 1986 ensures that women (and men) are able to earn pensions faster, and will not have their benefits completely offset by their social security payments.
- The Retirement Equity Act of 1984 provided critically important benefits to millions of widows and divorced women whose husbands worked for private sector employers.
- The Civil Spouse Retirement Equity Act of 1984 provided similar benefits to widows and divorced women whose husbands were federal employees.
- The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 provided small pensions to office workers covered by plans where most of the benefits go to company officers and owners
Looking for help with your retirement plan?
If you have a problem with your retirement plan, free help may be available from the U.S. Administration on Aging's network of Pension Counseling and Information Projects. Find help now.
What's your story?
We're hearing from people around the country who are worried about cuts to their pensions. These are their stories.
PensionHelp America connects people who need help with their pension, 401(k), and other retirement plans with the pension counseling projects, legal services providers, and government agencies that can help answer their questions. Visit www.pensionhelp.org.
Roadmap to retirement
Let our roadmap to helpful information about retirement plans for private-sector workers put you on the path toward a secure retirement. Get started.
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Did You Know?
A defined benefit plan is a pension plan, usually funded entirely by employer contributions, that pays benefits according to a formula. The formula is typically based on the participant's wages or salary and length of time spent working for an employer or group of employers. Defined benefit plans are also known as traditional or guaranteed pensions.